Last races, last chances, last choices, the State Cross Country tournament held at St. Olaf was Emi’s last race. Emi Trost took the gold Saturday, November 2nd. With many people saying phrases like, “Emi, just win”, there was sky high pressure on Emi’s shoulders. Crumbling under pressure could be the easy way out , but according to Trost “…I made sure I stayed healthy, so I wouldn’t get sick, and made sure I had enough sleep…the week prior I also wanted to make sure that I had a strong section meet before going into state.” With races like conference, sections, and state still before Trost, she had to focus on the season itself, so she didn’t fall into the senior slide. Trost explains, “Even though there were times when I felt like not going, I know this season was the ultimate goal.”

Support of teammates was also essential to Trost . At the state race about three-fourths of the cross country team was there, along with her family  and the pool crew – seniors and juniors that Trost worked with at the Cannon Falls pool over the summer. The race was run with a solid time of 14.40  minutes. During the  race she thought, “…I had to maintain the pace I started with and really push it at the last 800….” Everyone watched as Trost upped her pace on the final stretch, crossing the line with bolt-like intensity as she thought of all her hard work paying off. When the cross country team rode back to the school, they saw “Good Luck Emi Trost” on Merchant’s Bank sign. But as most people know, the State race wasn’t luck. Rather, it was the dedication of Trost to her last race.

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